It’s understood he cleared his desk immediately following a scheduled contract review which failed to provide the assurances he was looking for to lead the game forward at grassroots level.

The SFA statement on his exit was ambiguous over whether he jumped or was pushed – but Record Sport understands Regan had come under increasing pressure from the SFPL’s top clubs to force the 53-year-old out the door.

The league body’s failed power grab back in April ahead of the SFA agm made clear their unhappiness at the way £5million-a-year funding for Wotte’s performance programme was being spent.

And it’s believed several top-flight chairmen are still convinced the money – including Wotte’s salary and expenses – could be better spent if redirected into the professional game’s hands.

However, Wotte had his own frustrations at the clubs’ refusal to embrace the wider aims of the plan.

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A source close to the coach told Record Sport: “Mark was a bit disillusioned with some of the obstacles being put in his way. He ended up feeling he couldn’t take his development plan for the Scottish game any further because of that.

“He found out Scottish football has a unique culture and it left him banging his head against a brick wall.”

An SFA source, however, was keen to stress the Dutchman had decided to try a fresh challenge.

Wotte arrived in Glasgow in June 2011 as part of Henry McLeish’s Review of Scottish Football to implement the Performance Strategy framework.

And Wotte insists he’s proud of his record in his role as performance director after releasing a carefully worded statement.

He said: “I am proud to have been the Scottish FA’s first Performance Director leading this nationwide project and I leave safe in the knowledge this great football nation is on the rise again.

“With the performance schools now into their third year, the successes in qualification for finals by our national youth teams and of course the great work by Gordon Strachan and Anna Signeul in the men’s and women’s A squads, I am confident that Scottish football is on the path to success again.

“I have absolutely loved my time in Scotland and have been grateful for the excellent support of my coaching team, performance department staff and, of course, the member clubs. However, my job was to implement the strategy to move Scottish football forward – clearly the structure is now fully in place and Scottish football will continue to see the benefits in coming years.

“I feel I have completed the tasks I was set and I am delighted with the swift progress but I am really looking forward to a new challenge.”

Regan also praised Wotte for his impact on revitalising Scottish football at youth level.

He said: “On behalf of the board and staff at the SFA I would like to thank Mark for taking the Performance Strategy from an ambitious goal in the early days of our strategic plan, Scotland United: A 2020 Vision, to an exciting reality.”

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How many Grand Slam titles has Martina Navratilova won?

Martina Navratilova: Regarded as one of the all-time greats with 18 Grand Slam wins, 31 women's double titles and 10 major mixed doubles titles, Navratilova went out on a high in 2006. Aged 50 she won the US Open mixed doubles championship with the then-28-year-old Bob Bryan.